the katy perry thing and she looks just fine. i cannot imagine who would have been -- seriously, who would have been offended by katy perry on "sesame street." i also found out gordon gekko's name was suggested by the little geico gekko. >> you can actually look straight ahead and see how many seconds we overshot in savannah's show. look at that. look how angry. steam. how are y'all doing? >> hi. >> y'all doing okay? >> keep going. >> okay. >> i'll pass it around. >> all right. once again, all right, once again, speaking out against christian persecution. we're not going to be ashamed. >> wrap it up. >> we will not apologize for defending christians, willie. it's way too early. what time is it? >> "morning joe." right now it's time for chuck and savannah. hot stir, flamed fanner.

iran's president blames us for 9/11 and the u.s. delegation heads for the exits. it's iranian president feeling the pressure today. prescription for trouble. the government warns some of the most abused pills could be in your home. but says maybe you shouldn't just throw them out. and sex, lies, and baseball. the fate of the los angeles dodgers could be decided today in divorce court. good morning. it's friday, september 24th, 2010. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i have to say dodgers thing is a thing i am most focused on as a dodger fan. i'm chuck todd. start in new york where iranian president ahmadinejad claimed that parts of the u.s. government somehow orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. watch. >> translator: some segments within the u.s. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining american economy and it scripts on the middle east in order to save the

zionist regime. >> that prompted the american delegation to walk out, and then the british delegation and several from the european union. of course, he's in new york covering the united nations. so, what sparked this? this is nine years later. came, frankly, out of nowhere. i mean, we're used to him saying crazy stuff, but 9/11? >> that's right, chuck. it was a real surprise for him to say this. we thought he was going to go on about the nuclear, talk about how he's being browbeaten by the ie zr iaea. when he got to the states he said he was open to talks with the u.s. to resolve this issue. this is certainly going to close the door to any future talks. it's going to make things very difficult. it's going to put him in a weaker position to negotiate on this issue. >> ali, i got to ask you about the ank shuns because this is an area where we hear at the white house all the time where they

feel these sanctions have been fairly successful. you and i were talking the other day. you're on the ground there. sounds like he's sanctions really do have more bite than those in years past. >> they have. i think these sanctions are surprised, they don't want to admit to it but all sorts of allies are pulling out of the country have big, big car manufacturers like toyota, kia, huge car sales in iran. they've all pulled out of iran. this is a big blow to the iranians. very embarrassing for them. following his comments about 9/11, even his allies are not going to support him. so i think it's going to make the future much, mouf more difficult for him on the ground than in iran. >> always a fascinating figure to watch. one more news conference today. we'll see ali, our tehran bureau chief with us here in new york. thank you. the president is in new york, of course, for his third and final day of meetings with world leaders and back to washington where domestic politics await. nbc's mike i hajoins us.

>> stick with me on this report because we're going to expand the world to bring you the constant variety of politics. start in new york where he stays on for third day of united nations, the day after the con tro verse shul comments from mahmoud ahmadinejad. part of his continuing outreach to the middle east and the iranian world and the muslim world in particular. he will be doing an interview with him. he will have bilaterals with the leader of southeast asia, from out soo southeast asia and a meeting from sudan. the paid of stories here eman e emanating from the west wing about the senior staff. we heard reports the other day that rahm emanuel may -- may leave in october. if you back time it from the election deadlines, if he runs for mayor of chicago, widely speculated by the president on down, people say he's going to have to leave by sometime the middle, beginning of october. listen, if news is the unexpected, it's only going to be news if he does not leave for

this post and david axelrod on a similar note reports he's going to leave sometime, go back to chicago in the spring of 2011, next year. that's not much of a surprise either. now, let's turn this live shot around in the bathtub and look at the looking glass and talking about stephen colbert. colbert, the arch conservative commentator. is he conservative? i don't know. the irony is lost on me. he is testifying today before all things, the house subcommittee on immigration. turns out colbert is part of a united farm worker of america called take back our jobs. he wants americans to fill in the jobs that are now taken by illegal immigrants. and to that effect, he went picking beans and packing corn recently in a farm in new york. here's what he had to say on the show about his appearance. >> it's true, i do have a character, but rest assured i will not be addressing congress as my chinese persona

ching-chond ding dong. i love tea. >> back to you on the white house. >> all right. >> in all seriousness, i really hope that he isn't testifying in character. it sort of talk about tucker taking congress down a road that is a slippery slope. we will await to see. >> he may want to treat congress as joke. unclear why congress would want to treat itself as a joke. anyway. with prescription drug abuse spiraling, the dea is urging people to everity the med sane chest and hand it in. combat alarming spike in drug ause and violent crime tied to unused prescription medication. justice correspondent pete winans jins us with more. this is obviously a consumer safety issue. now turning into a drug abuse issue. >> that's right. consider one drug, oxycontin, abuse of that and others like it has risen 400% in the past

decade. now the nation's fastest growing problem drug. the dea checks says the abuse of prescriptions now ranks behind only marijuana among drugs taken to get high. and that prescription drugs are involved in the majority of more than 26,000 overdoses a year, overdose deaths. so the drug enforcement administration is urging people to get rid of their old unnecessary and outdated drugs. and what they say is, don't flush them down the drain. that that just contaminates the water supply and they also say don't just throw them away because people will get them out of their garbage. so at 3,000 places around the country, you can turn them in. now, how successful will this be? as an example. when the dea urged people to pitch their pills late last year in new jersey, in a single day, they got more than 9,000 pounds of prescription drugs. that's more than 3 1/2 million pills, chuck. >> all right. >> all right, pete williams, interesting story.

all your natural inclinations to flush them or throw them out. >> absolutely. all right. well, back to politics. as the midterms draw near, politicians are crunching the poll numbers trying to figure out if we're in a republican wave or if democrats can hold on. to help sort it out, nbc and msnbc are measuring a new environment, calling at this time voter confidence index. our political reporter joins us now to explain. it's like the consumer confidence index, what are you looking at with this? >> that's right. well, we were looking for a way to measure really the temperature of the country. let's see, you know, we've heard about anger in the country, we've, you know, heard all about the tea party movement and the potential losses that democrats could face this fall. w we were really looking for a way to measure that. we took the national average of three commonly asked poll questions. the presidential job approval number, the congressional --

congressional so-called congressional ballot and the right track/wrong direction numbers in some of our national polls. >> right. >> so we took those, added them up. what we found was that the president now and the democratic party sits at minus 38. now, minus is bad, positive is good. that's the easiest way to figure out what this pleens. when you go through history, where does that rank? well, you know, 38, you know, is eight points worse than where democrats and bill clinton were in 1994 when they suffered big losses, when they lost 54 seats. but it is 17 points better than where george w. bush was in 2006. so there are a lot of mitigating factors here that are not just -- this is not meant to be predictive of any particular outcome. it's just a generally say what's the mood of the country and when you're on the negative side, this far negative, then that could be problematic for the president and his party in power come midterms.

>> all right. nbc news political reporter, thanks for that. and savannah, just so you know, this number is living on msnbc.com politics, it will change almost every day. we're using a bucket full of seven good national polls, including our own, but also on the other major networks. and that's why you will see this number, just like the dow jones index, could be moving and watch the bouncing number there a little bit. it will tell you how big the wave could be or may not be. >> very interesting. all right. coming up, the republicans issue their closing argument to voters, but some critics ask, why shift the focus while you're ahead? up next, one of the architects of the new republican strategy, congressman kevin mccarthy of california. later, the nasty divorce battle that has a major league baseball team hanging in the balance. is an end near in the noer toer use and chuck's favorite, divorce case. look ahead at the president's schedule as mike so well rolled it out. it's a chock-full tour of the

world, probably the one that a lot of folks here in the united states are focused on is this meeting at the sudan and all of the problems here. watching the "daily run down" on msnbc. at purina one, we want your dog to be as healthy as possible. so, we set out to discover the science in some of nature's best ingredients. we created purina one with smartblend. new, delicious shredded morsels and crunchy bites, with real meat, wholesome grains and antioxidants, for strong muscles, vital energy, a healthy immune system, and a real difference in your dog. purina one improved with smartblend. discover what one can do.

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republicans pledge to america is a plan to stop, stop out of control spending and actually reduce the size of our government. >> after reading over it last night it occurred to me that if this is implemented, what we are going to see is the infliction of a plague on america. >> well, is the republican's new agenda a bold way forward or a

rehash of old unworkable ideas. it's in the eye of the beholder. even conservator is taking shots at that new pledge to america. >> with us now house republican kevin mccarthy of california is one of the architects of the new strategy. and you're a young gun, despite your gray hair, right? i saw it, by the way, you wouldn't tell meredith vieira how old you were. >> i'm 45. >> fair enough. that makes you young enough to be a young gun, right? bon jovi would accept. i want to start with this, which is, what are the first two or three actual bills, if republicans take control of congress, january 4th, 5th, right after you guys are sworn in, what are the first two or three bills you're going to put up, put up for a vote that you can tell voters right now based on this pledge, because based on the pledge, i understand where you guys stand on these issues but i don't see what is the first two or three votes you guys are going to call for? >> well, you got to understand what the pledge is. the pledge isn't saying we're waiting until the election. the pledge is saying right now,

we'll extend and not raise tax necessary a recession. we want to end the uncertainty. we'll give a 20% cut to small businesses. that's any small business with under 500 employees to get us moving again. we will rein in uncertainty from regulations where agencies cannot impose new regulations that cost business more than $100 million without congress voting on it. we will repeal the 1099 form for small businesses passed in the hale care. we will roll back spending to prestimulus and prebailout funds. that's $100 billion. we will cap discretionary spending which has gone up by 88% in just the last three years. we will cut congress' budget. that can all be done before we leave this fall. >> can we get specific about it? as you are well aware that is one of the key criticisms here, conservative critic called it pablam. you're saying let's cut spending but you weren't specific about where you would cut it. isn't that the real issue? everybody likes to cut spending but the issue is where, how, what specifically are you going

to cut? >> if you want to look at it you can also look at the national review that says it's bolder than the contract and will have longer lasting effects. what are you going to cut? discretionary spending. anything that's not security, anything that's not -- >> hang on. what is discretionary? >> yeah. you could go through every different program within government outside of entitlements, outside of national defense, that is discretionary spending that congress has control of. >> what is in your mind? >> that has gone up 88% in the last two years. >> what koocomes to mind? what would you cut? >> line item. >> the line item would be across the board. the other thing that you would do is you would cap congress' spending. that is congress itself. >> how much is that -- how much is it we're talking at there? >> $100 million for congress. do you realize congress' budget went up 5% last year? how many small businesses went up 5%? >> congressman, what do you say

to eric erickson at red state, a voice of the this activist, grass root conservative, the folks are fueling the tea party enthusiasm. he writes this. he says, it is aer is yes, sir of compromises and milquetoast rhetorical flourishes in search of unanimity among house republicans because the house gop does not have the fortitude to lead boldly in opposition. you're not asking specifics. are you going to hit farm subsidies, you know what, no more support to the states on x, y, and z. it seems to me that's what eric erickson is coming from here. >> if you look and you roll back the stimulus you can look at the l.a. times where they spent 100 million on 50 jobs. you're going after each and every one. one thing you have to realize it's not a platform for the party. we have a platform. these are bills that can be taken up today. if you look at the 42 pages, specifically lays out each and

every bill of where it goes. this is something that can be taken up now where we can't -- where we won't leave. look at the uncertainty that's happening in business today. the democrats want to leave congress when you have tax increases looming in a recession for capital gains. they have tax increases on dividends. they have tax increases for small businesses. they have new regulations coming in from cap and trade on the epa. we're saying no. we're going to rein that back in. >> are you saying yes to the proposed small business tax cuts that the president has proposed? i'm sure you're familiar with it. the 100% expensing of r and e, some of the tax cuts the president has put out there. i presume you probably support those because they're small business tax cuts. >> we believe a small business tax cut of 20% for small business, 500 employees or less, is a better way to go. that that is an ability to keep small business not only in business but they employ 80% of all new jobs that -- that is a greater growth. >> understanding your preference

for the ones you're proposing, would you vote against the small business tax cuts, the administration is proposing? >> yeah, i think our plan is a better way, yes. >> i guess congressman west, you know, right now the democrats are still in majority. the president is a democrat in the white house. if you can get 70% of something that you like, would you support it? >> if i could get 70% of what that i like? >> of what the president -- it seems as if these small business tax cuts, you know, they're not exactly the way you want to do them, but they get at the goal of what you want to do, but you still don't want to support them? >> look, that sounds a lot like what the president said with the stimulus. the stimulus did not work. we want to focus on the private sector. this is a project that will work. this is a program that will work that puts the money into the hands of the individuals that actually start moving the economy. it's a better way forward. it's a better opportunity. >> all right, congressman kevin mccarthy, with the pledge to america. thank you for coming on and talking to us about it. appreciate your time, sir. >> thanks for having me.

up next, it isn't 2010. the seats going to determine whether it's pelosi or boehner holding the gavel on january 3rd. the dangers of sports and your kids. why congress says it's time to step in. but first, our washington speak today. east wing, ah, yes, that's the east wing of the white house, the west wing of course is where the president and his staff work, where it seems to get all the attention. so we're highlighting the lesser known neighbor, the east wing. >> home to the first lady, of course, michelle obama and her staff. speaking of first ladies as we play the "west wing" theme song, we bring you this. the president yesterday with former president bill clon clinton dishing out a little first lady love. >> bill clinton understand where's i'm coming from here. he knows what's like to be married to somebody who's smarter, somebody who's better looking, somebody who's just all around a little more impressive than you are.

>> i can't figure out there was that love for the first lady or is that a weird, odd dig at former president clinton. anyway. >> it's nothing that politicians love than i married up routine. >> if you have washington speak you would like us to clarify, send us an e-mail. by the way, you have to see women elected officials talk about marrying up with their men. it seems to be a one-way street these days. what's up with that? >> i don't know. if the shoe fits. words alone aren't enough. our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims

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all righty, decision 20 so ti time. the ba battle for the house. they neat 39 seats to win the majority and give john boehner the speaker's gavel. let's go to the map. i'm going to talk to you about five buckets of seats. we'raling these driistricts wil

help us know whether it will help pelosi hold on to the speaker's chair. first we've got our swing districts, of course. these are the ones that bush carried in '04 and obama carried them in '08. a good example of this frankly is washington's third district up there, just outside of the vancouver, washington. this is the seat being vacated by brian baird. might be the purist in the country, as far as i'm concerned. total open seat. both parties spending a ton of money there. the second bucket is what we call the old bulls, the long-time democratic incumbents. a lot of them sit in rural districts, they sit in places that john mccain carried in 2008. a good example is in south carolina. john spratt, chairman, been around forever. ranks 31 in our field of 51. fighting hard. democrats did everything they could to get him to run for re-elections. so keeping him on the ballot

gives them that chance. then the next bucket of races we call the party liners. these are the folks that cast their votes with pelosi and obama despite the bad politics, frankly, that supposedly was going to come with it. good example of this is in a bedroom community outside of chicago, illinois, 11th district. morris, illinois. debbie is struggle. she's number 22 on our most vulnerable list. this is a seat, by the way, that mccain -- that bush carried in '04. it's really been a republican seat. obama overperformed being a favorite son in illinois. the next bucket of seats that we're looking at that are in our field of 64, what we call the district that had obama surge voters where all of these extra young voters and african-american voters and hispanic voters that somehow propelled democrats out of nowhere to win a couple of these seet seats. perfect example is in hi, specifically in cincinnati here. number eight.

one of our most vulnerable guys on this list of course is steve dreehouse. he beat a republican member of congress who is now looking for a rematch. this is a seat that has 27% of the district, african-american, will they come out in 2010? a big test. and then finally we have sort of the bucket of seats that we're calling the tsunami warning. that if the wave gets very big, this is the place that we think it could start cresting. we're looking at iowa. iowa is a place that democrats have made huge gain overs the last ten years. pure swing states. lots of swing districts. over the last six years you've really seen a trend toward the democrats. well, if this wave gets big, a guy that's sitting at number 64 on our list, leonard boswell, been there for ten years in i a iowa. it's a district that democrats have been carrying, kerry carried it in '04. obama carried it in '08. this is where a wave of election, you know this wave is pretty big. and then finally, i'll say this,

there actually is a sixth bucket here, very small bucket, savannah, almost more like a beach pale, like republicans seats that they're playing defense in. five of them. one in hawaii. the vietnamese republican down in louisiana. even an open seat in south florida. republicans are a little nervous that if they lose three or four om them they don't just need 39 seats they may need 43, 44, 45 seats. that means they're always going to need that wave to be bigger than they're planning on. get your budgets out. >> what did you think? >> look at it. all on the ipad here. >> i know. >> got these nice little things. i can breeze through it. we're going to end with iowa because we love the state of iowa. >> it's a real nerd--athon this morning. i like it. >> lots of numbers, indexes, ipads. coming up, states of emergency in the midwest has residents try to out run fast-moving flood waters there. plus, why the nasty dispute

over ownership of the los angeles dodgers may finally be coming to an end as early as today, in divorce court of all places. gop's new pledge to america. is this the model that will bring republicans back to power? major garrett joins us. from the almanac of american politics, which out going senator was once thought or bob woodward's source "deep throat"? the answer and more coming up. my doctor said most calcium supplements... aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. also available in small, easy-to-swallow petites. citracal. stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com.

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quick look at what's driving friday. >> yes. so happy it's friday. >> iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad will hold a final press conference today before leaving the united nations general assembly meeting. his remarks thursday prompted the u.s. delegation to walk out. he blamed the united states for

playing a role in the smechbept 11th attacks. the state board will reject schoolbooks that some residents say portray the islamic religion too positively. some texans fear that it may lead to further division of textbooks from a christian viewpoint. weigh in on don't ask, don't tell this morning. scheduled to rule on whether major margaret wich be reinstated after she was discharged under that policy. other stories making lead line on a friday. states of emergency have been declared for wisconsin and minnesota after massive flooding in the upper midwest. the red cross has established centers in both states, ten of thousands of sandbags have been distributed. the rains are expected to ease throughout today. teresa lewis died by lethal injection last night in a virginia correctional facility. sentenced to death for plotting the murders of her husband and stepson in 2002. virginia governor bob macdonald

refused to intervene in the 11th hour. and the 1950's started difficult fisher died at the age of 82 due to complications from hip surgery. fisher was a teen idol before marrying debbie reynolds and later elizabeth taylor. father of the aboctress carrie fisher. a serious danger to children playing sports. concussio concussions. >> it's not just football. concussion injuries are showing up in many sports, affecting girls as well as boys. tom costello joins us. tom, obviously everybody is worried now that we're getting more and more studies of the brain and figuring out this stuff, whether it's not just pee wee football but now soccer, lacrosse, lots of dangers out there. >> yeah. baseball, basketball, soccer, and here's another statistic that i think a lot of people are surprised at. on the soccer field, boys and girls are evenly split on concussions. and then once women actually play soccer in college, they have a higher rate of

concussions. here are the statistics from the centers for disease control. they point out each year emergency rooms tweet 135,000 sports and recreation con suggestions in kids 18 and under. the unreported number is much higher indeed. here's the problem. a hard hit can cause significant damage to the brain, they think. in fact, what they think is that it can actually rupture. the fibers of the brain can rupture against the inside of the skull. it can be very serious. and doctors believe that can lead to headaches, difficulty breathing, to -- i'm sorry, difficulty concentrating, i should say, vision as well as balance problems, even as some people, depression and suicide. and so there is this movement now. in fact, ten states have the law that if a child shows any symptoms, in fact, not just a child, anybody, shows any symptoms at all of having a head injury on the field you take them out and then you continue let them rush back in until they have been fully evaluated

essentially by a doctor, not a paramedic or emt or nurse. they want a doctor to look at this child or anybody to see if there's any signs of concussion. they used to say that if you had three concussions, that was it. you were out. now they're saying, listen, even one can cause life-long damage and injury. so it's very important that these players get treated and seen right away. >> tom costello from our washington newsroom. thanks, tom. house republicans have made their pitch unveiling their pledge to america to cut taxes, cut spending. critics say it leaves most of the specifics to another day. >> so if republican s do take back the house will this new pledge be a help or hindrance that follows them to 2012? major garrett. >> major. >> is the congressional correspondent for the national journal and also our former seat roommate there on the front row of the white house. major, good to have you. i know you're going to be on the next segment to talk about divorces and baseball teams in southern california.

>> go padres, that's all i'll say. >> let's start with the pledge to america here. the criticism that we're hearing, frankly, from both sides has to do with specifics. now we're hearing some even political strategists on the right saying, you know what, why did you even bother? >> well, i have a piece in the national journal, nationaljournal.com, thast there's my plug about this piece today. one of the things i discovered in the last 48 hours of reporting is up until last minute republicans were debating this internally. when this process began to put forward this pledge, republicans wanted to completely different atmosphere. they thought they were going to be dealing with the continued onslaught of democratic presidency, obama's, and if not the likelihood of democrats picking up some seats, maybe they would only pick up 10 or 15 seats. they thought they had to have a manifesto of some kind, a platform of some kind to rally their members and reattach themselves to diseffected republicans and possibly begin a conversation long term within w.

independents who would rush to the democrats, specifically president obama. well, that's when this began. but when they unveiled the atmosphere is completely different. and many strategists think why put a target on anyone's back? don't put anyone out say you're not obama, not a democrat, ride to victory. now they have this intervening reality and they'll have to deal with it. >> yeah. that was the ride the wave strategy. you know, one thing i've been reading a lot, it seems like conventional wisdom, so therefore i'm suspicious of it, major, is that somehow republicans were really bothered by the white house and democrats consistently painting them as the party of no. i mean, is that consistent with the facts? did that bother them? did they think that was a weak spot for them? >> no, this pledge has a different kind of animal than contract with america in 1994. the contract with america in 1994 was sort of a resume. if you hire us, here's what we're going to do. the pledge and the word "pledge" is about reattaching a republican leadership in washington to disaffected base.

one republican i talked to said, 1994 was sort of like this resume idea. 2010, it's like a cold call selling merchandise to a jilted lover. you just want to keep them on the phone with you to have them listen to you because where republicans found themselves is their own base wasn't listening to them. this is an attempt to get the base to listen to them again. >> eric erickson criticism and some from grass root conservatives, what did we learn about the struggle, a house republican majority leadership will have in sort of keeping this coalition happy? >> well, look, this is john boehner's document. it was written by his chief of staff, his staff director, and a very small cadre of staff directors on appropriations, judiciary, ways and means, and defense committees. that was his call. look, eric cantor, the number two house republican, didn't speak about this yesterday. that's not necessarily a breach in the house republican leadership but i think it's telling. this is i don't knjohn boehner'.

that's why it's less specific, because it gives him, if he's speaker, more latitude. i think you'll find candidates out there running far more aggressively than this pledge. >> all right. major garrett, from "national journal," former colleague at the white house. i know you're actually on our normal set there in washington holding down the fort for us. >> no tie. >> not exactly. >> you leave the white house press room and you just get rid of the tie. good stuff. >> look at that. great to see you. thanks. let's do our trivia. which out going senator was once thought to be bob woodward's source "deep throat"? >> frankly, i was a believer for a long time. tomorrow bob bennett before he became a u.s. senator, he was within the nixon administration, long-time republican operative. a lot of people thought he was somebody who might have been whispering. >> someoned a the fbi said mark feldman. >> makes a lot more sense. >> i'm depressed that we know who deep throat is now. one of the greatest washington

secrets. anyway. programming note, next week, msnbc and the networks of nbc universal focusing on education in america. week long series we're calling "education nation." it's going to include a two-day interactive summit at rockefeller plaza. it's across the nbc news platforms. something to watch. coming up, most couples squabble over the house and the kids. but in hollywood, los angeles, the ownership of the dodgers is taking center stage in divorce court. and the decision could just be hours away or maybe even a settlement. but first, the white house soup of the day, wow, white house. the president is not even there to enjoy this. but i don't believe we've ever seen this soup before. coconut crab. >> it's an interesting idea. >> yeah. >> i hope it has a little old bay, some sort of spice to go with the sweet. >> when you say interesting it doesn't feel like a compliment. >> you're right. you're right. >> yeah. >> you read me correctly. i'm willing to give it a shot for creativity. "a" for effort. you're watching the "daily

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it was on this date in 1957 that brooklyn and new york said good-bye to the brooklyn dodgers. they played their last game at the field defeating the pittsburgh pirates 2-0 before moving to los angeles for three or four dreadful years of playing in the coliseum until they built what is now the third oldest stadium in dodgers. the nasty divorce between the team's co-owners could be on the verge of a settlement, at least frankly as dodgers friends home. frank and jamie mccourt is meeting today when he admitted in open court that he altered a crucial document without telling the couple. >> oh, gosh. at stake, of course, is whether frank mccourt gets full ownership of the dodgers or whether he must share that billion dollar franchise with this soon to be ex-wife. here now mike barnicle, msnbc

analyst, avid baseball fan, our friend, and website dodgerdivorce.com tracks every twist and turn in the case. it's the go-to site for everyone following this battle. a profile in the "new york time times". josh, i'll start with you. i love this. you're a law student. you're a little obsessed with this case. let's lay it out for people. sounds like this all turns on what the marital property agreement, basically, a prenuptial agreement says. eshs pla explain the issue. >> it's a post-nup agreement. one copy of the exhibit gives the dodgers to frank. the other copy gives it to ja jamie. which one do we believe? >> the lawyer totally devastating the lawyer, what, admitted, oh, yeah, i altered the document but didn't tell anyone? >> well, i think we've known

about that switch and that alteration for a while. the question is going to be whether jamie and frank mccourt ever even knew of this other document. a little bit about what their intentions were regarding the document. >> let's quickly talk about the attorney for jamie mccourt, a very famous attorney a lot of people will familiar with, al gore's attorney in the bush versus gore in the 2000 election. the lawyer who did the altered piece of paper that you're talking about here seemed to get, according to you, chopped up by david boies, so badly the judge intervened asking for a straight answer from this lawyer, right? >> larry silverstein, the boston attorney who was on the stand yesterday, has been either in dop depositions or on the stand for an entire week on this case. david boies in a week could make any of us look foolish. i think it's much more damaging, the switch itself. >> mike barnicle, look, you're more than just an avid baseball

fan. you're very plugged into major league baseball. i ask you this. at what point does the best interest of baseball, it is a -- sort of enumerated power of the commissioner of baseball. at what point do you see this spectacle kog on in l.a., perhaps the third or fourth most important franchise to major league baseball, does the commissioner say, enough, this team has to be sold and sold now, regardless of what the judge does. does the commissioner have that kind of power? >> yeah, he does. now, whether it holds up in court, chuck, i don't know. frank mccourt, i've known frank and jamie for a long time. i know larry silverstein, lawyer. frank is a little litigious personality. whatever happen s at the major league baseball, he could tie that up. to answer your question, before spring training, major league baseball is going to act on this because, as you indicated, there are four premier national franchises in major league baseball, dodgers, franchises i

baseball. what has happened in los angeles over the past few years, not just with the divorce case, has been a horrific embarrassment to major league baseball. lawyers meet today with a mediator to decide if jamie mccourt gets $100 million or $400 million or frank gets the club personally. what happens at the end of the day, this is a bankrupt dodger organization. it can't continue this way. >> it just feels like it's bad for baseball, no matter who gets control of the dodgers in the end. >> it is bad for baseball and they need desperately someone with deep pockets from, hopefully, the los angeles area to restore this team to its prominence and to take the taint of what has happened with frank and jamie off the club. >> hey, josh, i got to ask. what motivated y to do this website? >> sure, i've been a dodger fan since i was 3 or 4 years old, i

received the legal documents and they fascinated me. great look inside the team and the business and the organization. and i figured it would be something that people would be interested in. >> you were right, you've done a great job. i have been a dodger fan since i was 3 or 4. still have every steve garby baseball card and waiting for the hall of fame to get him in there. he belongs in the hall of fame. >> how about our other guest, josh, he left minneapolis and got approval from his job at the law firm for missing, also missing class and staying at a hotel and be impressed. he called it an investment in his future. >> i have been following dodgerdivorce.com since josh put it up and thankfully i don't have to do redsoxdivorce.com. i would be just as obsessed. listen, coconut crab soup in the white house, come on, what is that all about? >> fish friday, i guess. >> it sounds a little, like they're trying too hard a bit.

>> great discussion. coming up, the wild and whacky ways people are using pumpkins these days. >> i still love toasted pumpkin seeds. follow us on twitter and we'll josh tweeting, as well. [ male ] marie callender's invites you back to lunch, with a new line of fresh recipes. like chicken teriyaki with water chestnuts. it steams to perfection in minutes, giving the fresh flavors and textures of a homemade meal. marie's new steamed meals. it's time to savor.

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before we go, let's take a dip in the shallow end. you might not know this, but it is the season for using giant pumpkins as boats. all you need to join a paddling party is a pumpkin that weighs upwards of 1,000 pounds. what else would you do with a great gourd after you show it at the pumpkin fair. it gives pumpkin carvings a whole new meaning. >> you know what i love, we got

the word gourd. i don't know what it pays -- >> use it early and often. >> it gets my gourd, right? >> it works, though. >> that's it for "the daily rundown." >> toast those pumpkin seeds. i didn't miss a premium payment for 10 years. the minute i got sick, i lost my insurance. not anymore. america's healthcare reforms change lives for the better. to find out how it can help you, visit us at americasfairhealthcare.org ♪ [ mom ] game time is all about the traditions. it's all about the tackles and the touchdowns... and watching my boys do what they do. but for me, it's even more than that. game time is about our time. together. [ female announcer ] get low prices on all your favorites for the game. save money. live better. walmart.

so we can work quickly. nate... sorry. i know you've been late all of your life... that is one late baby. wait ! ... but i need you with me on the morning flight to london and you cannot be late, nate. i knew it. we know why you fly.

we're american airlines. iaiabetes. we know why you fly. and i'm worried if i lose my job, i won't be able to afford insurance. not anymore. america's healthcare reforms change lives for the better. to see how it can help you, visit us at americasfairhealthcare.org breaking news coming to us out of the mihm ay area, we are getting reports now police surrounded a bank, the bank of america in the very upscale portal gable area of florida. a robbery turned into a hostage situation there. this bank is very close to the university of miami campus. it's directly across the street. the university sent an alert to students warning them to stay away from that area. let me bring in